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User blog:Ratskeller/Things that need addressing
So, it'd be nice if this was less a list of chores, and more a source of inspiration. Some of the articles on the wiki are incredibly outdated or obsolete, some ideas don't mesh with what has been decided since, but for ease of reference and to get imaginations flowing; here are some of the recent Tolas events that could really be incorporated into more places, or serve as a source for new ideas: : UPDATED: Other things that should probably be looked at - *Easthearth has been removed, but its location is more important than ever. Could be anything from a trading state to a militaristic dictatorship. Bonus point for including some Xhahon-Dor stuff, since its near his domain. Extra points if you link it in with Farthrone, since one of the points of the Reshaping was to bring the continents closer together. *'The resurgence of Xhahon Dor in West Farthrone/East Etan and the coming of the Primordials more generally.' **Example articles that include this: The Siege of Sudniv, Baarsk, **Areas that could be cool: ***'Fish. Men.' - Since the Reshaping Xhahon Dor is a lot closer to places like Hoffendale and most of East Etan . How have these places been affected, if at all? Any cool naval engagements? New allies/foes? Have any other places fallen to worshipping the Demon of the Deep? The same goes for all the areas on West Farthrone, like Marn , Westmost , Ruhx and Suhli . How have these coastal nations been affected? Are there any growing cults to the Primordial? ***'Times of Strife -' Is Xhahon Dor the first domino? What of Zessara, Ogremoch? Do people in areas of strife turn to these ancient forces for help? What nations would do so? Or what creatures serve them? Do Dwarves battle the Earth King's minions as they tunnel through his flesh? Do villages sacrifice livestock to the Witch of the Winds, praying for short winters? Or are they extorted by Phantoms of Air and Fury, which fall on them from the clouds, whisking away innocents? *'The arrival of the Exarchs and their wanderings and activities' *Examples of articles that include this: The Dawn of Exarchs, Marn, *Obviously this is the biggest weeping sore in Tolas at the moment. As it stands we have just SEVEN Exarchs. For a pantheon of over 12 Known Gods, where the assumption is each god might have multiple, even many Exarchs. So how can this be fixed? Obviously coming up with more Exarchs is good. Its supposed to be a global event, after all. Here's some suggestions on how we could expand the Exarchs a bit and make them less of a wet squelch: **'Ready-Made Cults' - When Exarchs descend, its a big deal. People know. We already had suggestions that prior to the descent, groups would instinctively sense the approach of a divine being, and flock to welcome them. This is golden material for setting up Exarchs ANYWHERE you want. **'Strider '- Do Exarchs always land in cities? What about those that wander the Wilderness, only glimpsed by people? How do they react? **'Tamper with stuff' - One of the reasons we wanted to do Exarchs initially was that it would allow people to affect places that weren't their own using a ready-made global event. Why hasn't this happened? Why isn't there an exarch or 3 in Hoffendale? Why not Okarthel? Why has no one put one in the Thrones, or in the Vahnese Isles. Even looking beyond "Hotspots", what about Quel'Doran? Telinor? The Noble States? These are all areas that have deep backstories that can play REALLY well with a divine interference. ***How does the mighty nation of Hoffendale interact with a new Exarch, having so recently marched to war against one? ***How does an Exarch interact with Quel'Doran, the tired empire of vampiric taint? Does the Exarch bring a wave of rejuvenation and cleansing, or is it cast down? OR, is it the Red Lady come again, to wash the Empire's borders in waves of blood. (https://youtu.be/Zl_x-CgJMug?t=224) ***Okarthel is without a single leader, a situation that hasn't ocurred in centuries. Will an Exarch seize upon this? Descend to lead the Dragon Peoples? Will Okarthel finally change from thousands of years of tradition? ***The Nerevic Empire is based on worshipping the Saints, but no Saint has ever reappeared. Now, with the nation increasingly turning to Zealotry, but no living Saint at hand, will an Exarch come to lead them? Or will the Exarch be one of their own Saints, reborn to bring the fight south to the Thrones? ***The Vahnese Isles have been in constant war for almost 20 years. Fish Men fight the Tsi Gao who contend with the Drenden Protectorate for control of the islands. With thousands of soldiers and dozens of nations involved, will an Exarch take a side? Or try and rally the peoples against Xhahon Dor himself? Or will the Exarchs fall to the climate of infighting, and war amongst themselves? ***The Noble States stand divided yet united, as they always have. Will the appearance of an Exarch tip the balance? Or incite hatred and fear following the Heir? *'The Silence of the Gods and its impact' **Example Articles that include this: The Nerevic Empire, The Kingdom of Grostere **Guys seriously. The Gods disappeared. Why isn't this a bigger deal? I know a lot of places haven't got the details of their weird religions sorted out, but for the majority of places on Etan, Vhir and Yantir, this was a huge deal. Here's some ways to actually make it interesting: ***'Not all Scripture - '''The Silence doesn't have to be incorporated by some 500 word bore-fest of how the Temple reacted. HOW DID THE PEOPLE REACT? Could they get healing? Was there plagues because they couldn't? Did Demagogues rise up to seize on the fear and uncertainty? Doom Cults? How has that changed since they returned? Were priests and holy men burned out of their houses, their lands seized French Revolution style? Did life return to normal? CAN life return to normal after your fucking God disappears? Was it kept secret from the populace? ***'Pools Closed - What faiths, old or new, replaced the Gods during this time? Did people flock to the Primordials, or fall on other powers to help them? ***'''Actual Events - Think of all the wars on Earth that were started with religious contexts or aims. Now imagine if the miracles of those religions were widely known, accepted, and propagated. WHY HAS TOLAS KEPT ITS CHILL DEPSITE THE GODS LEAVING? There should be wars and strife abound. *'The discovery of the two new gods, Elendei and Dr. Doom.' **'''Example articles that include this: Fucking None.' **Most of the suggestions on how we could spice this up are included in things above. For now this is just going to be here, reminding us. **(This event also sets the precedent for more gods, dead or alive, to be introduced. As we all know dead/dying/exiled Gods is the coolest idea ever. So why is there only one?) '''Ways to write the wiki:' Fluff. - 'Writing articles is fun, but I think its fair to say we've seen a big increase in fluff-based articles. Thats really good, why don't people write fluff for the empty areas above? If you don't feel you can detail an exarch, why not write about the arrival of one? The leader of its cult? Anti-Necromancy Exarch cleaning up the streets to make it safe for the common man? Why not write about people falling to the primordials, or the day the GODS DISAPPEARED. These are some of the greatest storytelling hooks ever, in a setting as varied as you like. And it doesn't matter if you don't go on to write a 10 page article explaining the "facts", since ANY writing is good writing on the above areas. '''Real People, Real Problems - '''I think its fair to say Tolas needs more people, less places. For every Castle-On-A-Mountain we have, we could do with around 10 actual characters or personalities. This isn't an idle point. A place that reads as if no-one actually lives there is worthless. What kind of PC would come from there? Who would he know or be aware of? What organisations was he a part of? What people/organisations/communities could PCs interact with if they travle to a place. This is important for 3 reasons: #'Places are more interesting with characters. You can write fluff with the characters in them, you can have a whole article be narrated by a character. You can do some fun writing with characters that you can't do if you're just dictating from On High. #'Characters make places easier to DM. '''Who even lives in most of Tolas? How am I supposed to have the balls to DM a game in Quel'Doran, Rockharbour, or Schwarzmeer when there isn't even a dozen named people between them? Am i supposed to come up with that shit myself? Its even more important for organisations. Organisations in the world are just hooks for DMing. IE: The entire point of the Wiki. #'Characters and Organisations are easy to write. Which is easier to write? A city, or a fluff article about a thief stealing a jewel? Which is less daunting? Writing up a nation, or adding a character to a location? Which makes a place feel more alive? Writing about another village, or writing about a marauding band of wizards that terrorize all the villages in the area? :: Writing these things isn't just important, its hands-down the easiest way of adding SIGNIFICANTLY to the Wiki as it stands. :: (Shameful self-plug: Organisations of the Thrones) '''Why not just tell the truth? One major problem on this wiki is that we have a compulsion to write an entire article ourselves. That means sections get left undone, or the article never gets written because the "Religion" section is just too fucking dull. In future, why not just write a short note in those sections, maybe say something like : "I haven't got any ideas for this section, but if anyone does, feel free to add." ::::::::: OR : "I haven't got any fluff, so add some if you think of anything cool in this place" ::::::::: OR : "I think this area needs characters and personalities. Anyone think of an old PC that could fit here or have moved here? Or any cool ideas for character that interact with this?" All that being said Write what you want, but write something. If you do feel like doing God's work,write about the above areas. If you do feel like making the wiki better overall, tackle things like The Gods, the Planes, the Cosmology, Other Outsiders that affect Tolas. Unless you're revamping a neglected region or rewriting a nation or adding more depth to a place, the LAST thing this wiki needs is more coloured blobs (unless you have a sick-ass idea). Double-down on what we have, bring Tolas to life. Category:Blog posts